To initiate playing or recording, a disc is inserted into an entrance slot of a slot-type disc player or recorder apparatus and mechanical guiding means are provided to bring the disc into its playing or recording position. The playing or recording position is usually on a drive hub and in a plane parallel to the insertion plane. Hereinafter, for convenience, reference is made to "playing" a disc but it will be understood that "playing" also includes "recording".
When playing is completed or the user does not wish the playing to continue, the disc is unloaded from the hub and ejected out of the slot. In conventional player apparatus, the distance that the disc is displaced by the apparatus is relatively short and limited both during the loading and unloading operations. In both cases, the user needs to manually insert the disc deep into the entrance slot when loading and is required to manually pull the disc from a substantial depth in the entrance slot when unloading. As can be seen, the conventional disc player apparatus requires assistance from the user when changing discs, which may be inconvenient and undesirable and, furthermore, the disc may be damaged during its transition because of user-handling.
It would be desirable in some applications of player apparatus for the disc to be ejected almost the full extent of the disc and to draw the disc into the apparatus so that, with the manual apparatus, the handling of the disc is minimized and, in automatic apparatus, such as disc changer apparatus, the disc may be more easily and readily transferred to and from a storage magazine adjacent the player apparatus.